Samba artists organize pro-Lula rally in São Paulo ahead of runoff

Samba artists, composers and Carnival professionals in São Paulo organized a demonstration supporting President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's reelection, scheduled for Sunday, October 18, in the state capital. The event is promoted by the Progressive Samba Front, which also advocates for popular culture and workers in the sector.

Organizers said the mobilization has more than 2,000 participants in WhatsApp groups and has gathered over 1,000 signatures in support.

Confirmed participants include federal deputy Erika Hilton, councilwoman and federal deputy-elect Luna Zarattini, and musicians Salgadinho and Arlindinho. Representatives of the Italian-Brazilian community are also involved, including composer Aquiles Accocella, known as Aquiles da Vila, and Rafael Falanga, president of Mocidade Unida da Mooca.

The samba school is located in an area of São Paulo historically marked by Italian immigration. The movement brings together people from different Carnival segments but does not necessarily represent an official position of all the groups its participants belong to.

Broader rallies in defense of democracy and in support of Lula are planned across Brazil this Sunday, one week before the second round of the 2026 presidential elections between Lula and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro. Events are scheduled in dozens of cities and abroad, including Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Brasília, Recife, Salvador, Belo Horizonte and Porto Alegre.

In Rio, singer Caetano Veloso called a “Musical Act for Democracy” at 4 p.m. at Post 5 of Copacabana Beach, organized by Mídia Ninja and the 342 Artes movement. Artists such as Djavan, Simone, Marina Sena, João Bosco, Frejat and Fernanda Abreu are also announced. Students and social movements organized a demonstration in the Candelária region at 11 a.m., and a motorcade will travel along Amaral Peixoto Avenue in Niterói.